CLEVELAND, Ohio -The enormous mythical Slovenian monsters known as Kurents are meant to scare winter away and welcome spring. But for the past two years, they have also been scaring up new attention for a redeveloping area of Cleveland: St. Clair-Superior.

The Kurents, great fuzzy monsters more than 10 feet tall, are the main draw at the Kurentovanje festival, which has been gathering steam and fans the last two years in the near East Side neighborhood.

But this year's Eastern European winter fest, sort of a Slovenian Mardi Gras held the weekend before Lent begins, will also feature a winter's end parade, Slovenian food and drink, and cultural performances in addition to appearances by the fuzzy Kurents. Cleveland's event is the only Kurentovanje festival outside of Slovenia, says Michael Fleming, executive director of the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation.

"It really is such an unique event," says Fleming. "You cannot get this outside of [the city of] Ptuj and other places in Slovenia. There's nothing like this in the U.S. or Canada."

The third Kurentovanje will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, centered at the Slovenian National Home at 6417 St. Clair Ave. The noon parade will take place on St. Clair Avenue between East 62nd Street and Addison Road. Due to its Valentine's Day timing, the 2015 theme, fittingly, is "LOVE in every sLOVEnian!"

The last two festivals have attracted between 2,000 and 3,000 attendees to the St. Clair-Superior area, which has been on an upswing largely thanks to the revival of Sterle's Country House on East 55th Street, the trendy Cleveland Flea shopping events and the 42,000-square foot mixed-use Hub 55 development on East 55th, which will include cafes, a brewery, a market, retail and offices.

This year, Fleming says he expects anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 attendees, based on growing word of mouth. But the best part? He expects many of these visitors to come back, too. Kurentovanje is the first step in luring visitors -- and possibly new residents -- to the area.

"We have evidence that this is really helping to get people, especially the Slovenian community, to reinvest in this area," says Fleming. "There has definitely been a resurgence of interest in housing in the area, which is also be partly due to Hub 55. Events like this make people realize this is a place with a real neighborhood feel, and great houses."

Josie Peric, owner of the Pitta Strudel Co., will be selling her homemade Eastern European pastries -- which range from sweet chocolate and apple pastries to savory kale, spinach and beef treats -- at Kurentovanje for the first time this year, with a booth inside the Slovenian National Home. As a business-owner and resident of St. Clair-Superior, she's excited about the festival's potential.

"I'm been selling at Cleveland Flea for two years. Like that, this will be great exposure for my pastries, and our neighborhood," says Peric, a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who settled in Cleveland in 2000.

"This area has a great history of Eastern European culture, and hopefully Kurentovanje will help bring back some Slovenians or Croatians who moved out. And for Americans who know nothing about it, I think they'll be thrilled to see the different traditions, something new, but that has been around forever."

11 a.m.: Area businesses selling Slovenian donuts ("krofe") and coffee. Free crafts to help children prepare for Kurentovanje will also take place at the Slovenian National Home on St. Clair Avenue.

Noon: The parade kicks off the traditional Kurentovanje celebration and will stretch through the neighborhood from St. Vitus Church on Lausche Avenue to the Slovenian National Home on St. Clair. The procession will include Kurents, polka and marching bands, dance groups and other parading groups in traditional dress from across Eastern Europe.

1-6 p.m.: Experience the many different foods, wines, beers, music and dance of Slovenia and Eastern Europe at the Slovenian National Home. Free photos with the Kurents will be taken, and local craftspeople will be selling homemade edibles and handmade goods. Musical and dance acts will perform throughout the day. Attendees can explore the neighboring Slovenian Museum and Archives.

6 p.m.: After-party runs 6 p.m.-close at Sterle's Country House, 1401 East 55th St., where guests can enjoy schnitzel, polka and slivovitz. Sterle's Bier Garden will also be open throughout the day.